Baby Rescued, Hospitalized, After Trying to Sneak Into the U.S.

2 years ago

Mounted Border Patrol officers have rescued a 16 month old baby who was suffering from dehydration as his mother tried to walk across the south Texas brush country in triple digit heat, 1200 WOAI news reports.

Officers say the toddler was having trouble breathing and had become unresponsive.

When the Border Patrol agents encountered the group of 13 undocumented immigrants, they called in a helicopter with Borer Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue Agents from Del Rio.They determined that the infant was suffering from severe dehydration and he was rushed to a San Antonio hospital via AirLife helicopter.The child, who is from El Salvador, is now in serious but stable condition.

BORSTAR Commander Timothy Hay says it is lucky for the child that his mother and the other undocumented immigrants were apprehended.

"Our agents on the rescue team and at the stations have rescued more children over the last month than I've seen in 15 years," Hay said."Smugglers attempt to cross groups in areas that are extremely remote and uninhabited in hopes of avoiding apprehension and detection by the Border Patrol.Unfortunately, they do not take into consideration the ages and abilities of the members of the groups they are smuggling.There is a completely disregard for safety and human life by the transnational criminal organizations responsible for trafficking undocumented aliens along the southern border."

Hay said apprehensions of women and children have 'increased exponentially on the South Texas Corridor, especially those from Central American countries.He said more than167,000 undocumented immigrants have been arrested in south Texas just in the last six months.

"My fear is that mothers in Mexico and Central America aren't being educated about the dangers of crossing the border illegally and there may come a time when our agents are not close enough to respond and save them or their children," Hay said.